Page 1 of Sweet Dreams
1
Present Day
It was a busy Friday night at Freddie's, a popular Mexican restaurant right on Main Street with a view of the beach, and all the people were enjoying the pier view of the sunset. The music was thumping through the many speakers placed inside the bar and out on the deck. The lights were low, the beer was flowing, and the locals had come out in full force to celebrate the weekend. It was too early in the season for a rush of tourists, so I'd agreed to a night out after weeks of begging from Bailey, my roommate and best friend. If I were to make an appearance at Freddie's it would be before the craziness started. Last year, I made the mistake of coming here on July 3rd and the number of wasted guys was an immediate turn off. The three-way girl-on-girl tussle, complete with hair pulling, was interestingtoo.
Tonight was definitely more tame and at least tolerable in my book. I was one beer into the evening, getting cozy with the tortilla chip bowl, when my roommate gave me the heads-up. "Esa, the dark-haired guy over there is totally checking you out, girlie," she said with minimal lipmovement.
"Ah shit, you know I'm not interested in any of that. Don't look at him," I answered her, shoving another salsa laden chip into mymouth.
Of course, she made eye contact with him anyway, then smiled and tilted her head in my direction. "Oh, would you look at that, he's coming over here," she exclaimed, playfullyshocked.
If looks could kill, she would have incinerated on the spot. This was so not what Iwanted.
"Hey, can I buy you another beer?" dark-haired guy asked as he wedged in next to me. He wasn't bad looking but the fraternity guy smirk was not helping his case. Nor was the major waft of yeasty beer smell that came from hisdirection.
"No, thanks, I'm good. In fact, I was going to hit the bathroom and then get out of here. Thanks anyway though," I responded, then grabbed my bag to leave the table. I didn't wait for his reply as I made my way to the bathroom down the hallway in the far corner. I didn't even feel guilty that I left my best friend to deal with him. She brought him over, she could get him to leave,right?
Just as I reached the door to the women's, someone grabbed my elbow and pulled me back. I looked up into frat guy's determinedface.
"Ah come on, honey, you don't need to rush off like dat. You can a' least get to know me first, huh?" he slurred out. I wanted to wipe the sly grin off his face with a sharp comeback, but instead I took a deep breath and smoothed out my facial expression. He was intoxicated, who knew how mean he couldget.
"Listen. I'm not interested. Please let go of my arm," I said in my most sternvoice.
"Hey, that's not very nice. You don't need to be a bitch," he countered. Did he really think whining and then calling me a bitch would help him get laid? Red flags were flying left and right. This guy was badnews.
Before I could get another word out, a tall, dark-haired guy walked by me, pushing his shoulder into drunk frat boy. The hand gripping my elbow dropped, and I used the opportunity to duck around them both and move back into the more populated bar area where my roommate was rushing up to find me. The two boys were now face to face in one of those weird macho showdowns guys do. Drunk guy eventually backed down and slunk away as he realized the other guy was taller, bigger, and lessinebriated.
My rescuer was off-the-charts hot in his lifeguard polo and red shorts, but I focused on his face when he asked if I was okay. I nodded yes. He jerked his chin up in the cool guy equivalent of nodding and walkedaway.
And that my friends, was my cue to leave. This wasn't my scene. And I sure as shit wasn't looking for a guy. Drunk or gorgeous, it didn't matter. Time to gohome.
A Trip Down MemoryLane
Have you ever had a person you'd trust with your very life? Someone who totally understood you, saw your crazy and not only didn't pass judgement, but liked your crazy? I know it's rare to find that connection with anyone, considering it's only happened once in my twenty-six years on this earth, which is why I absolutely adored my best friend and roommateBailey.
We met in high school when life is awkward and feelings are easily bruised. I first saw her when I entered my science class the first day of freshman year. She was ripping into some guy sitting next to her who had rolled his eyes at her outfit. The poor guy didn't even know what hit him when she verbally whipped him with her sassy comeback. He vacated the seat for friendlier pastures and I found myself taking his spot. I was drawn to her confidence, to her 'take no shit' attitude. And I wanted that formyself.
You see, I was the quiet one. I observed people and situations more than I got involved in them. I wasn't the life of the party; hell, I wasn't even invited to the party. I wasn't an outcast or anything. I just wasn't noticed much, which was usually fine by me, but I wanted to turn things around in high school and live a little. I decided, right there on the spot, someone like Bailey was the perfect person to have by myside.
"You got something to say about my kickass outfit too?" Bailey asked with a raisedeyebrow.
Realizing she was talking to me, I quickly reassured her. "Yeah, I do. I think you look great in it. And I like whatever you said to that jerk-off. Teach me how to dothat."
She stared at me for a moment, grinned and said, “All right. Here we go. Let's dothis."
And that was that. A budding friendship began, escalating quickly to Besties with a capital B. We were inseparable all four years of high school. Where she was flash and heat, I was cool and calm. When she dropped sass and attitude, I followed up with sunshine and steady determination. We were different in a lot of ways, except for our commitment to each other. We had each other's backs always, and we both had plans for our futures. We graduated high school and applied to the same colleges. Where one went, the other would too. And so we found ourselves at University of San Diego sharing a dorm on campus, her major Fashion Design, and mineBusiness.
Those plans for our future took a serious hit when my parents were killed in a car accident on the I-405 in Long Beach when they were taking a random day trip to the Aquarium. I had a new reason to hate thatfreeway.
Bailey and I were in our second year of college when it happened. I was in BioChem 2 when the police pulled me from class to deliver the news. I was in total shock when I texted Bailey to leave her English Lit class and find me. The police were still telling me the details of what happened when she burst into the hall and pulled me to her side, her arms holding me upright. I made the officers start over because Bailey needed to hear it too. They had loved her like their own daughter and she ate that love right up. This would crush usboth.
I didn't shed one tear till the next day. And then it was like I couldn't stop, my eyes leaking the heartache that seemed a new, permanent part of mylife.
Long story short, that was a really rough time. I completely fell apart and Bailey held me together. When I wanted to just drift away in my grief, give up on college, and go back home to Huntington Beach, Bailey wouldn't let me. She said all the right things, did all the right things, and got me in to see the college counselor on a regularbasis.
I eventually pulled through and I owe that toBailey.
She. Was.Solid.
